My husband just found out that he has kidney cancer. It was found during a CT right before his appendectomy a few weeks ago. It is 2.2cm in the left kidney...since then it has been a flurry of testing. Blood test, ultrasound, CT of Chest area, stress test. He is 50 and will be having a partial nephrectomy on the 19th of this month. What can I do to make his recovery the most comfortable for him? Any and all comments will be very appreciated.

My husband had his surgery in Sept. 1999. He had a 15 inch flank incision because the surgeon wanted to get in there and, as he said, "get a good look around". He had quite a bit of discomfort since it was a long incision, but he slept in a recliner for 3 months (way more time than necessary, but it made him feel more comfy) with pillows stuffed all around him to make it easier for him to sleep. He would walk around the house several times a day for exercise and to get his strength back up. He was driving the car after a month but he could have done it at 3 weeks, just didn't want to push himself.
Of course, every patient is different and your husband might not have as much pain as mine did; but IMO one of the most important things to help, is to make sure he is reasonably comfortable so he can get a good sleep at night, which helps with the healing.

__________________Disclaimer: My comments and opinions are NOT medical advice.

Ariel99,
Thanks for the advise....I need all I can get! Steve is only asking for 2 weeks off work because there have been huge amounts of layoffs at his job and he doesn't want to put his employment in jeopardy.....he is very stubborn and anything I tell him doesn't matter...he thinks this surgery will be as easy as the appendectomy that he just had.....lol. I have seen on one of the other discussion boards that a recliner was very helpful. So I have arranged to borrow one from my dad when Steve is in the hospital so it will be at the house when he gets home....he will thank me later...lol. How is your husband been since his surgery?

Oh my.
I think it would be advisable for him to talk to his Dr. about his expectations. If he has an open surgery (large incision) he will most likely not feel ready to go back to work after 2 weeks. Only his Dr. can really decide ....

My husband has done pretty well, altho he had an MRI last week to check on a complex cyst on his remaining kidney, because it has a "structure" inside it that the Dr. is worried about. The Dr. has the results but is not revealing them to us until his appt. on Oct. 31. I am worried.

__________________Disclaimer: My comments and opinions are NOT medical advice.